Guilds/Orders of the known World
Guilds The Alchemists Guild The Alchemists' Guild is an ancient society of learned men, sometimes called Pyromancers, who have claimed many magical and arcane abilities through the years. In recent centuries the maesters of the Citadel have largely supplanted the alchemists almost everywhere in Westeros. In its earlier years, the Guild was very powerful, but by the reign of Robert I the Guild's abilities and influence are greatly diminished. Now only a few of the old order remain, there are few true pyromancers left. A full member of the Alchemists' Guild is called a wisdom. There are also apprentices and acolytes to assist them. At the height of their power, Alchemists claimed the ability to transmute metals and create living creatures of flame. In their later years, they still hint at possessing vast secret stores of knowledge - but the only skill they demonstrate is the creation of wildfire. Wildfire is a highly volatile liquid similar to napalm and Greek fire. Alchemists typically refer to it as "the substance". Wildfire can be set aflame with the smallest spark, and sometimes even by the heat of sunlight. As it ages, it becomes even more volatile. Once wildfire is lit, it burns with green flames that are almost impossible to extinguish. Wildfire will seep into many materials, making them flammable as well. Great quantities of wildfire will combust with explosive force. It is typically commissioned for use as a weapon of war, The Alchemists create wildfire in their Guildhall, which is set beneath Rhaenys's hill in King's Landing. The hall is an imposing labyrinth of cold, black stone. Acolytes of the Guild make wildfire in solitary cells. The Alchemists claim that the creation of wildfire is a delicate and magical process. Should the wildfire explode, the cells' false ceilings are designed to collapse and fill the cell with sand, snuffing the fire as well as killing the acolyte. Wildfire is contained in clay jars that are textured to increase grip. These jars must be handled carefully to prevent fracture or combustion. The most volatile jars are housed in storerooms of water and transported in sand-filled wagons. At any one time, the Guild's store of wildfire could number in the thousands of jars. The Ancient Guild of Spicers The Ancient Guild of Spicers is a prominent merchant organization within Qarth. It battles for dominance in the city with fellow merchant groups, the Thirteen and the Tourmaline Brotherhood and the nobility, the Pureborn. The Spicers own approximately twelve or thirteen hundred ships. According to the late Xaro Xhoan Daxos, the Spicers are dissemblers and braggarts. The Thirteen The Thirteen are a prominent group of traders within Qarth. They fight for dominion over Qarth with the Tourmaline Brotherhood, the Ancient Guild of Spicers and the Pureborn. There are thirteen members. Xaro Xhoan Daxos was a member of the Thirteen. The Thirteen own roughly a thousand ships. The Tourmaline Brotherhood The Tourmaline Brotherhood is a powerful merchant guild within Qarth. It battles for prominence in the city with the Thirteen, the Ancient Guild of Spicers and the Pureborn. The Brotherhood owns approximately eight hundred ships. According to Xaro Xhoan Daxos, the Brotherhood is full of pirates. The Pureborn The Pureborn, also known as the Enthroned, are descendants of Qarth's ancient kings and queens, who rule the city of Qarth from the Hall of a Thousand Thrones. The Pureborn also command the city's defenses: the Civic Guard, which includes camelry, and a great military fleet. There are three principal merchant groups that battle amongst themselves and against the Pureborn for dominance of the city: the Thirteen, the Ancient Guild of Spicers, and the Tourmaline Brotherhood. The calculating Pureborn are notorious for offering poisoned wine to those they consider dangerous and their avarice is equally well-known. There is a saying among the merchants of Qarth: To receive an audience with the Pureborn, a petitioner should make a traditional sacrifice in the Temple of Memory, offer a traditional bribe to the Keeper of the Long List, and send a traditional persimmon to the Opener of the Door. If all goes well, the petitioner will be sent a pair of blue slippers, signifying the granting of an audience in the Hall of a Thousand Thrones. The Iron Bank of Braavos The Iron Bank of Braavos is the main bank of Braavos. It is very wealthy and often lends money to outsiders, among its clients is the King of the Seven Kingdoms. Though all the Free Cities have their own banks, the Iron Bank is richer and more powerful than all the others combined and has a fearsome reputation when collecting debts. When princes or kings default on their debts or are foolish enough not to honor their agreements with the Iron Bank, the Iron Bank supports new princes and kings to appear. These new princes and kings then honor the previous debt along with paying back the money the bank loaned them in claiming their new power, lest they suffer the same fate as their predecessors. There is a common saying among the Braavosi... During the Westerosi civil war the greens entrusted to the care of the Iron Bank one quarter of the crown's gold from the royal treasury for safekeeping. The Faceless men The Guild of the Faceless Men is a religious society of assassins who worship the Many-Faced God, a god of death. As explained by the Kindly Man to Arya Stark, the guild predates the founding of Braavos and "first took root in Valyria", sometime before its Doom. The tale of the guild's beginnings centres around a figure of unknown origins who was the "first Faceless Man". This man heard the prayers of the slaves to their various gods and came to conclude that they all, in fact, prayed to the same god "with a hundred different faces" and that he was "that god's instrument". This led to him giving "the first gift" to the most desperate slave. The Kindly Man also notes that the first Faceless Man later brought the gift to the masters as well, leading many fans to speculate that the guild was somehow involved in the Doom. The Guild originated in the volcanic slave mines of Valyria. Their founder came to believe that Valyria's diverse slave population all prayed to the same god of death in many different incarnations. The Guild believes that the death gods of all religions are faces of a single, Many-Faced God. In the Guild's House of Black and White, followers wear black and white robes and perform religious duties for the community, such as tending to the dead. The House contains a fountain and alcoves with idols of many death gods, including the Stranger of the Seven, but there are no formal services. Some visiting worshippers light candles to their god, then drink from the fountain using a black cup. The religious order refill the fountain with a poison, so that drinking from the fountain leads to a painless death. This is sometimes referred to as "the gift" of the Many Faced God. A phrase associated with the cult of the Many-Faced God is Valar Morghulis, translated from High Valyrian as "All men must die"; the formal response to this is Valar Dohaeris, or "All men must serve." According to the Guild, the god is present in many religions, all under different names. In Qohor, it is called the Black Goat. In Yi Ti, the Lion of Night and in the Faith of the Seven, the Stranger. Followers of Him of Many Faces consider death to be part of the natural order of things and a merciful end to suffering. For a price, the Guild will agree to kill anyone in the world, considering this contract to be a sacrament of their god. The price is always high or dear, but within the means of the person if they are willing to make the sacrifice. The cost of their services depends on the prominence and security of the target. When the small council discuss the possibility of hiring a Faceless Man to kill Daenerys Targaryen, Petyr Baelish states that the council could hire an army of sellswords for half the price that the Faceless Men would charge for a merchant, and that killing a princess would be far more expensive. In A Dance with Dragons, we learn that the price could be someone's income or a child. An elite group of followers within the Guild, called the Faceless Men, are trained to perform this task. Faceless Men are occasionally women. Only rarely would they train a child. They are trained to use all their senses to root out deception and create their disguises, seemingly possessing magical abilities that allow them to change their appearance at will. Part of their training includes discarding their true identity in a nihilistic way, thinking of themselves as "no one". The Faceless Men reconvene at the House of Black and White, the "temple" of the Many Faced God, whilst there they discuss the potential jobs for the month and dole these contract assassinations out through a round table. They use a variety of methods to kill their targets, including a poison called the strangler. They also cure the faces of the dead who come to die in their sanctuary, hanging these on the wall as macabre masks for use in their disguises during assassination contracts. These are more than masks however and the wearer assumes the true appearance when applied using a tribute of ones own blood to moisten the application. In this way, the Faceless Men are using tools as part of their disguise, rather than a reliance on glamours or outright magic for disguises, like Melisandre or other followers of R'hllor. Arya learns that the assassination technique by a Faceless Man must not be haphazard, killing only the intended target. Their fee is for a precise killing, in many cases looking like an accident, rather than an outright murder. Orders The Kingsguard The Kingsguard, also known poetically as the White Swords or White Cloaks, are the royal bodyguards of the Iron Throne. Supposedly the finest knights in the Seven Kingdoms, they are sworn to protect their king and the royal family with their own lives, to obey his commands, and to keep his secrets. They are sworn for life and are forbidden from owning land, taking a wife, or fathering children. The Kingsguard was founded by Aegon the Conqueror of House Targaryen as an elite bodyguard for those of royal blood. Historically composed of seven knights sworn to a lifetime of service, members are to serve unto death despite age or any physical or mental ailments, with an invalid member's duties being taken up by his sworn brothers. During his time as a member of the Kingsguard, a member is not allowed to hold lands, sire children, marry, or have any worldly allegiance except to his monarch. Some of the greatest warriors, battle commanders, swordsmen, and famous historical figures in the history of Westeros have served in the Kingsguard, including members of House Targaryen itself. All members of the Kingsguard must be sworn knights. The Kingsguard wear all white cloaks, carry plain white shields and with some occasional exceptions wear little or no ornamentation or sigils on their white armor. This plain but striking attire lends credence to their role of being seen but not heard until their advice is asked. Discretion and wisdom are often as important skills as martial ability being as they are expected to be with their king or queen at all times, privy to all their secrets, plans, and every aspect of their personal lives. The Kingsguard has continuously existed since the Conquest. Its uninterrupted history is recorded in the White Book, a volume maintained by the head of the Kingsguard, known as the Lord Commander, and stored in the Round Room of the White Sword Tower, a four-story tower built into one of the seaward walls of the Red Keep of King's Landing. In the White Book, officially known as The Book of Brothers, each member of the Kingsguard is given one page on which his personal history and a record of his deeds are written. Because of its status as the royal bodyguard and the many remarkable figures who have been members, the Kingsguard has been involved in many major historical events in Westeros. Although the White Swords may not hold lands, certain titles may be retained or granted. Aemon the Dragonknight and Lewyn Martell continued to use the style of "Prince", while Lord Commanders Criston Cole and Ryam Redwyne have also acted as Hand of the King. After the War of the Usurper, Robert Baratheon, the new king, chose to continue the tradition of the Kingsguard. He went as far as to elevate a member of Aerys II's Kingsguard, Ser Barristan Selmy, to the position of Lord Commander. Selmy held that position until dismissed in an unprecedented move by Robert's heir, Joffrey I. After Selmy's dismissal, the last of the remaining knights from Aerys II's Kingsguard, Joffrey's uncle Ser Jaime Lannister, was appointed Lord Commander. Sandor Clegane was chosen to replace the departed Ser Barristan, becoming the first member not to have been a sworn knight. The rite for making a new member of the White Swords can vary. In common there seems to be the fact that it is a solemn and formal event, in which the knight kneels as he makes his vows before the king, and he receives the white cloak of the Kingsguard from the Hand of the King or the Lord Commander himself. The Lord Commander is always chosen by the king, with seniority and ability only playing parts in the decision. The Kingsguard wear intricate suits of white enameled scales, their fastenings for breastplate and other pieces made of silver. They alone bear the right to carry a pure white unemblazoned shield. Sellswords A Sellsword is a mercenary who hires out his services to the highest bidder. Inevitably, this sort of lifestyle involves a great deal of violence and physical exertion. Many sellswords are organized into companies. Some of the sellsword companies are very disciplined (such as the Golden Company), and some are nothing but rabble joined together in search of loot (like the Brave Companions); the Second Sons and the Stormcrows are in the middle. Most tend to be experienced professional soldiers, as it is a profession a man tends to chose after he's tasted a few battles and learned that he's good at fighting. The Free Cities have made heavy use of mercenaries for centuries, to fight their endless wars in the Stepstones and the Disputed Lands; as such there are more sellswords in Essos than in Westeros. Many of the mercenary soldiers of the east are organized into long-established sellsword companies, or "free companies" The Golden Company The Golden Company is a company of sellswords founded by the Great Bastard, Bittersteel. They are considered the largest, most famous, and most expensive sellsword or mercenary company in the Free Cities. Despite the notorious unreliability of sellswords, the Golden Company is reputed to have never broken a contract. Their motto is "Our word is good as gold." The Golden Company was founded by Aegor Rivers, called "Bittersteel", a legitimized bastard of King Aegon IV, after he fled Westeros with the younger sons of Daemon Blackfyre at the end of the Blackfyre Rebellion. When Aegor saw all the exiled lords and knights signing on with other sellsword companies, such as the Ragged Standard or the Maiden's Men, and saw the support of House Blackfyre ebbing away, he created his own sellsword company. Since then they have fought mainly in the Disputed Lands. The Golden Company is said to be made up of exiles and the sons of exiles. The Golden Company were once headed by Maelys the Monstrous, the last of the Blackfyre Pretenders. During the War of the Ninepenny Kings Ser Barristan Selmy cut a bloody path though the Golden Company's ranks to slay Maelys the Monstrous in single combat. Their war cry, "Beneath the gold, the bitter steel" pays homage to their founder. Daenerys recalls that her brother Viserys Targaryen once feasted the captains of the Golden Company in the hopes they might take up his cause. They ate his food and heard his pleas and laughed at him. As the heirs of Bittersteel, discipline is like mother's milk to the men of the Golden Company. They are able to march quickly after a haphazard and disorganized landing without the chaos that would have inevitably delayed a hastily assembled host of household knights and local levies. The high officers display a rude splendour. Like many in their trade they keep their worldly wealth upon their person: jewelled swords, inlaid armour, heavy torcs, and fine silks are very much in evidence. During the high officers meeting with Griff in Volon Therys, Griff notes that every man wears a lord’s ransom in golden arm rings. Each ring signifies one year’s service with the Golden Company. The captain-general’s tent is made of cloth-of-gold and surrounded by a ring of pikes topped with gilded skulls. On his deathbed Ser Aegor Rivers famously commanded that when he was dead, the flesh was to be boiled from his skull and then to be dipped in gold and placed on a standard the company would carry before them when they crossed the narrow sea to retake Westeros. Each of his successors has followed this example, upon their deaths their golden skulls adorn the standard poles of the Golden Company.[5] When Griff arrives at the company’s encampment near Volon Therys he contemplates those skulls. One skull is larger than the rest – Maelys the Monstrous and his nameless brother. The other skulls have a sameness to them, though several are cracked and splintered by the blows that slew them, and one has filed pointed teeth. One of them is Myles Toyne’s skull. Griff goes to look at the skull of his old friend. He sees that death has robbed Myles of his ears, his nose and all his warmth. Only his smile remains, transformed into a glittering grin. Griff thinks to himself that all the skulls are grinning, even Bittersteel’s on the tall pike in the center. The Brave Companions The Brave Companions, also known as the Bloody Mummers, are a sellsword company of considerably ill repute. It comprises criminals and outcasts from many nations. During the War of the Five Kings, the band is led by Vargo Hoat, a tall, gaunt, lisping man from Qohor. The band is often called the "Bloody Mummers" by the Westerosi for its members' brutality and outlandish appearance, though they find this name insulting. They are also called the Footmen for Vargo's practice of cutting off the hands and feet of prisoners. Some of the company's notable members include Qyburn, a disgraced maester, Septon Utt, a child-killing priest of the Seven, Shagwell, a psychotic jester, and Fat Zollo, a Dothraki. Their standard is a black goat with bloody horns, symbolizing the Black Goat of Qohor. The Second Sons The Second Sons are a mercenary company found in the Free Cities. At Yunkai, where they are contracted to face Daenerys Targaryen and her forces, they number five hundred men. Their banner is a broken sword. Their camp is a circle of ragged tents. There is a cook tent. Brown Ben Plumm’s tent has painted canvas walls cracked and faded by years of sun and rain, within the tent are camp stools and a tresel table, a rack of spears and halberds and a floor covered with threadbare carpets in half a dozen clashing colors. he Second Sons are amongst the oldest of the free companies. They do not enjoy the shining reputation of the Golden Company, but they have won some famous victories. Four hundred years ago the Second Sons stood in defense of Qohor along with the Bright Banners company against the first Dothraki khalasar to venture east since the fall of Valyria. However, they suffered a defeat and fled the battle field, though the battle was later won by the Three Thousand of Qohor. Under the command of Mero, whose evil reputation is known even in Westeros, the Second Sons turned near as bad as the Brave Companions. Mero’s reputation has fallen to the point where none of the Free Cities will hire him any longer. That is why the Second Sons were in Yunkai when Daenerys marched on the city. They have fought in the Disputed Lands. The names of every man to serve with them is written in a book, as well as when they joined, where they fought, how long they served, and the manner of their deaths. The Second Sons were on their fourth book as of the series. The book is leather bound with iron hinges, and large enough to eat your supper off. Inside the heavy wooden boards are names and dates going back more than a century. A tradition of the company is to sign in red ink. There was a time when each new man wrote his name in his own blood, but that tradition faded as blood makes poor ink. At the end of the series, with the addition of Tyrion Lannister and Jorah Mormont, they numbered 514 members. The Long Lances The Long Lances are a mercenary company of over eight hundred riders found in the Free Cities. They were led by Gylo Rhegan. The Company of the Cat The Company of the Cat are a mercenary company of three thousand infantry found in the Free Cities. They were led by a captain known as Bloodbeard. There is enmity between the Company of the Cat and the Windblown. A year ago in the Disputed Lands they had been on opposite sides of the battle lines and bad blood still lingers. Bloodbeard made no secret of his disdain for the Tattered Prince whom he refers to as old grey-beards in rags. The Windblown The Windblown are a mercenary company of two thousand mounted horse and foot soldiers found in the Free Cities. They were led by a captain known as the Tattered Prince. Their standards are fork-tailed blue-and-white banners, with streamers of pale blue silk on their lances. The Windblown command tent is a great grey sailcloth pavilion which the Tattered Prince called his canvas castle. It can take the Windblown less than an hour to strike camp. The Tattered Prince established the mercenary company some thirty years before the events in the books. When the Tattered Prince was twenty-three the magisters of Pentos selected him to be their new prince after they had beheaded the preceding one. Instead of accepting their offer he fled to the Disputed Lands and never returned to Pentos. He has ridden with the Second Sons, the Iron Shields, and the Maiden's Men, but later he established the Windblown with five other men. Out of the six founders of the company, he was the only one alive at the time. The Tattered Prince tells Quentyn Martell that every turncloak has his tale and others have sworn service to him, taken his coin and run. One member who fled said that the food made him sick, so the Tattered Prince had his foot cut off, roasted up, and fed to him. He then made the deserter camp cook and the meals improved markedly, and when his contract was fulfilled he signed another. Hugh Hungerford was the company paymaster for a time, but the Tattered Prince caught him stealing from the coffers and removed three of his fingers and demoted him to serjeant. There is enmity between the Windblown and the Company of the Cat. A year ago in the Disputed Lands they had been on opposite sides of the battle lines and bad blood still lingers. The men of the Windblown use what names they would, and change them at a whim. The Tattered Prince took a dim view of deserters and dealt with them harshly. He sent hunters after them and if caught and they are lucky he would chop off a foot to make sure they never run again. If they are unlucky they were given to Pretty Meris. Dick Straw claims there are three score Westerosi in the company. The closest thing they have to a company tongue is classic High Valyrian. The Stromcrows The Stormcrows are a mercenary company found in the Free Cities. Their banner displays four crows between crossed lightning bolts. During the defense of Yunkai, they numbered five hundred men. Freerider "Freerider" is a broad term, sometimes used to denote a mounted sellsword, but more often referring to other mounted fighters who are not part of a lord's retinue or feudal levy. Some are hedge knights and are experienced fighters, but also many are green and untrained recruits and farm boys who have nowhere else to go. Most do not collect wages, instead fighting for plunder or a hope to be taken into a lord or knight's service. Some freeriders fight simply as a means to survive: when war sweeps over villages, those refugees who do not flee to the nearest city or take to outlawry as "broken men" may saddle their horse (if they're lucky enough to have one) and become a freerider for a better chance of being fed. Whatever their origin, freeriders are mostly used as scouts, outriders, foragers, and light cavalry. Sellsail A sellsail is a mercenary sailor who engages in naval battles for pay. Sellsails may work as pirates or smugglers when not employed.